Beginner's Pluck: Ciaran McMenamin

Always good at creative writing, Ciaran parted company with school before taking his A levels. After a while he left Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh for Glasgow to attend drama school. Then, moving to London, he began to act, and has been doing so ever since.

Notably, he had the title role in BBC’s film of David Copperfield, and he co-starred in ITV’s The Golden Hour.

“I turned to writing partly through a need to take control,” he says. “And to create my own world. As an actor you are trapped in a world of other people’s decisions. When I was young I could roll with it.

“I still act, and will appear in Paula, a three part cop drama for the BBC in the next few months.”

Who is Ciaran McMenamin?

Date of birth: 1975 in Enniskillen.

Education: St Michael’s Enniskillen. Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Home: Moving from London to Hastings soon.

Family: He will marry actress Annabel Scholey in May. “And my Mum, Anne, deserves a big thank you for giving me confidence and the inspiration to go for the arts.” The Day Job: Fulltime writer, In Another Life: “I’d have been a war correspondent.” Favourite Writers: William Boyd; Robert Harris; Phillip Kerr.

Second Novel: “It takes place in 1916 and 1921, and is about two men at the end of the war. It’s based, loosely, on my grandfather.”

Top Tip: Believe in what you write, and defeat the inner doubt. Read The Artist’s Way.

Twitter: @CiaranMcMenamin

The Debut: Skintown. Doubleday Ireland: €15.31 Kindle: €10.59

When Vincent Duffy is thrown out of school, his prospects seem dire. Working in a takeaway, his life revolves around the pub and raves. Then, caught in a car with Provos, he gets them out of a scrape, and in return, is offered a business opportunity. But when the IRA ceasefire creates havoc, caught in a riot, will Vincent stay out of trouble?

“I hope the book gives people hope, and that it makes people look at Northern Ireland in a different way. And I hope it reminds politicians how much better things are now than they were.”

The Verdict: Fizzing with energy, clarifying the reality of the North, this debut is as poignant as it’s funny.